1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control system for controlling the position of vehicle equipment such as the seats and steering column or the like of an automotive vehicle and more specifically to a system which provides improved termination timing with which seats and other controls are moved from a preselected set of "driving" positions to retracted ones which permit ready ingress and egress.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been previously proposed to provide the drivers seat and the steering column with servo motors and a memory arrangement which permit (a) the seat and the steering column to be automatically retracted to positions which enable easy ingress and egress and (b) to be returned to preselected memorized positions once the driver has entered the vehicle and become seated in the drivers seat.
Examples of such prior art can be found in JP-A-58-33569, 58-33570 and 58-33571.
These type of arrangements, in order to provide the maximum possible amount of space for the driver to maneuver during ingress and egress, provide for the steering column to be tilted upward to the maximum permissible angle and induce a telescoping or extension control servo to reduce the length of the column to its minimum possible length. Simultaneously, the drivers seat is moved to its most rearward position.
Upon re-entering the vehicle the control system is suitably triggered to return at least the steering column length and angle, and seat position to predetermined "driving" positions.
However, the problem occurs that the completion of the steering column tilting and telescoping to their respective "retracted" positions and the seat sliding to its rear most position almost invariably occur at different timings. This tends to be disconcerting to the driver who is unable to ascertain just when all of the adjustment will terminate and therefore when to egress from the vehicle.
For example, as shown in FIG. 7 in order to facilitate ingress and egress from the vehicle, the steering column is tilted to its maximum possible angle while the length thereof is reduced to its minimum possible degree of extension. Simultanouesly the seat is moved rearwardly from the selected driving position.
In order to have the timing with which the steering wheel and the drivers seat arrive at their respective fully retracted positions, be as close as possible, it is possible to set point B as a standard and arrange for the gear ratios and the speeds of the servo motors which move the steering column and the seat such that, if the retraction operation begins with the steering wheel located a point B, and the seat located at a predetermined setting, then the wheel will arrive at point C at the same time as the seat reaches its most rearward position. However, the merit of this arrangement is very limited in that the length of the arms and the legs of individuals vary considerably as do the preferred driving positions. Viz., some drivers prefer a straight arm position while others like to sit very close to the wheel, some drivers like to extend their legs out straight while others prefer to bend the same and so on. Accordingly, it often happens that when the driving position is such that the center of the wheel is located at a point D which is distal from the standard point B and the seat is not set at the predetermined position. As a result, the termination of the seat movement and the steering column movement invariably stop at different timings and thus has not proven an effective measure against the disconcerting effect of the different termination timings.